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June 28,2010
New Marine Terminal in The Dalles Could Promote Shipping, Tourism
by Elliot Njus of The Oregonian
A new marine terminal with a cargo crane and docks for cruise ships and other watercraft could liven up The Dalles' downtown district and offer a new option to companies shipping cargo on the Columbia River.
A $2 million federal Economic Development Administration grant to the city and the Port of The Dalles will go toward the terminal in a project officials say will generate 62 jobs and millions of dollars in private investment. The rest of the $6 million project will be paid for with city and state funding.
"This is sort of the last funding piece that allows us to complete all of the elements," The Dalles City Manager Nolan Young said.
Young said the terminal will replace an existing facility that's little more than a tie-up for barges.
The new terminal will have a jib crane that can lift five tons of cargo to and from ships. The city has already lined up an agreement with an Oregon vintner to ship wine from the port to another facility in Astoria.
"We've already got a bird in the hand," Young said. "We think that if we build it, others will come."
The dock fills a niche opened in 2006, when flooding at the mouth of the Hood River built up a sandbar that permanently blocked large cruise ships' access to the nearby port.
Young said the accommodations for cruise ships and the recreational floating dock will draw more traffic to the downtown district of The Dalles, which was separated from the waterfront when Interstate 84 was built in the 1960s. The city built an underpass six years ago, Young said, and this project will add public restrooms, more than 40 parking spaces and a festival area to the district.
"We look for grants that are going to have the biggest bang for our buck in creating jobs and private investment opportunities in the region," said John Atwood, a spokesman for the Economic Development Administration.
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PeopleSpeak
"We chose The Dalles because of a combination of factors. All together, this is a risk free, shovel-ready site.""
Scott Bennett
Homeshield
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